After a week-long spring break, four best friends from Weston were about half-way back to Tallahassee and their classes at Florida State University when their world exploded.

Rammed from behind by a pickup truck, the students’ 2013 Hyundai Sonata crumpled as it was sandwiched between the truck and an SUV that had come to a stop on Florida’s Turnpike, according to authorities.

“I remember waking up on the grass and seeing my car smushed,” said Maria Cardenas, 20, who was at the wheel of the Hyundai when it was hit at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday near Leesburg, Fla.

Killed in the the chain-reaction crash in Lake County were Valentina “Vale” Martinez, 19, and Antonio Mesa, 18. Both were in the back seat of the Hyundai.

A third passenger, Aztli Jiminez, 18, sitting in the front seat beside Cardenas, was also injured, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. She was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Cardenas said she had no warning before the collision that FHP said occurred when traffic in the inside lane slowed or came to a stop near mile marker 290, which is south of Leesburg and north of Groveland in Lake County. The reason several cars ahead of the Hyundai “stopped for other traffic,” as the FHP report said, is not clear.

The collision of the truck into the back of the Hyundai triggered a domino effect of crashes that included five more vehicles and left more than a dozen other travelers injured, according to the FHP.

The pileup forced troopers to close northbound lanes for several hours. Rescue workers treated 17 people at the crash scene.

Cardenas and her three passengers were all wearing seat belts, the FHP report said.

The driver of the pickup was identified as Bilal Ead, 32, of Windermere. He was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center with serious injuries, troopers said.

The preliminary cause of the fatal crash is that Ead failed to stop for traffic ahead and struck the Hyundai Sonata that had slowed down, said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Steven Montiero.

“The truck was doing the speed limit, which is 70 mph in that area,” Montiero said.

“There was no evidence on scene to indicate that the driver of the Dodge attempted to stop his vehicle prior to impacting the Sonata.”

Montiero said traffic homicide investigators would typically look for brake marks or any kind of marking in the roadway or on the tires at the scene.

Even though everyone in the Hyundai wore seat belts, “There are crashes that are not survivable, and this happened to be one of those,” Montiero said.

“This was a violent crash,” Montiero said. These kids were doing what other traffic in the road was doing, coming to a stop. And unfortunately with this truck versus their car, they did not have a chance.”

He said Mesa died at the scene and Martinez died at the hospital.

Cardenas said she has no broken bones but is feeling “pretty banged up.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone touched by this tragedy, especially our students, their families and friends,” said Dean of Students Vicki Dobiyanski in an email, “The FSU Counseling Center is available for students impacted by this tragedy as well as the Dean of Students Department.”

All four of the students from Weston graduated from Cypress Bay High School in 2016.

In Tallahassee, Cardenas, Martinez and Jiminez shared an apartment. Mesa lived in a university dorm, Cardenas said.

Cardenas said she had known Mesa and Martinez since all attended Tequesta Trace Middle School in Weston.

“Their lives got cut too short,” she said from her hospital room, “I don’t know if I can deal with this. It is still kind of shocking. It doesn’t register.”

A video posted on Facebook by a motorist whose vehicle was rolling slowly in the southbound lanes past the crash showed the Hyundai pinned between the pickup and an SUV. It also showed paramedics, firefighters and deputies attending to injured and dazed motorists, some sitting on the grass in the median.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything that bad,” said Barry Deemer, 52, of Winter Garden, who posted the video. He was returning home from the Gatornationals, a drag-racing event in Gainesville.

Ead has not been charged with any offense as the investigation continues, Montiero said, “At this point we don’t see anything that’s criminal, but we will look at everything before making a determination,” he said.